Patching drywall-where to place seam?

I have a 3 foot wide and 4 foot high section of 3/8th drywall that was removed (there was a fake fireplace with fake brick that i removed there becuase the brick was attached directly to the drywall).

Where should I try to place the seams so that this section is adequately supported? Should I cut back until I get a wall stud (on the sides) and try to overlap it with one of the wall studs (it appears the studs are only like 1 1/2 inches wide though) or can I mud/tape in between wall studs? Right now, if i patched the hole as is, there are two wall studs that the drywall could be screwed into in the middle but the ends of the drywall "patch" where the seams would go would fall in between wall studs.

If I have to cut back the drywall to get half of a wall stud to screw into, are there any tricks to getting a straight cut on the drywall to expose half the stud. I know i can use a drywall square for the piece i'm putting in, but i'm not sure how i can accurately cut back the drywall that is currently attached to the walls to get a straight line?

Also, one more question, obviously because i'm only going to be using a section of the new drywall sheet i have-some of the sides are not going to be tapered like the edges of the entire 4X8 sheet are (which i understand makes hiding the seams easier)-how should i address this to get a seamless "patch"?

Any help/direction would be appreciated!

Nick

Advertisement

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

I would cut the drywall back and seam on the studs, if not it the seams will certainly crack. YOu might have to toenail the screws a little to hit the stud, but that's just fine. Just use a 3' level to vertically mark your studs and use a utility knife back and forth until through, just watch for screws/nails. As for the tapered edges, get a rasp or gritty sander and taper the edges by hand that are to be mudded, this will help, otherwise the joint will be harder to hide.

Advertisement

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

Agreed. There is no question, you need to cut back to screw the edges of the drywall to a stud. You are right, the studs are 1 1/2" - they are either 2x4 or 2x3s. A level works great as suggested. I'm not sure why you would have to toenail the screws, you should be able to get them nicely into the stud as long as you cut back to as close to the center of the stud as you can. The best thing to do about the seams where two sides meet squarely - called a butt joint - is to "V" out the intersection of the two seams a little with a utility knife. Sanding the drywall sheets to taper the edges will be messy and probably tear the paper. Good luck.

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

Excellent advice, I am a relative newcomer to plastering and have a thirst for knowledge, my job used to be office work for over 15 years, oh how much time have I wasted..I love plastering and am on a course for advanced drywall techniques!

If anyone is interested (I don't know if I can post this actually) a guy who is a professional plasterer gives out some really cool advice too, its worth a look at least? http://www.bigbud.dev-world.co.uk/forum

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasterman

..I love plastering

Plasterman

I'm sorry? What was that?.....really? Wow, you, my friend, are a rare bird. Good for you for loving plastering. Lots of people HATE it. Glad to see you are doing well with it. I wish the guys that plastered my house "loved" plastering enough to get it at least slightly even and level.

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

Well I cut it back to a joist and got the piece cut (about 4 feet by 4 feet square) for the hole. I have some questions i am hoping you can help me with.

1. On the seams on the sides- well the piece of drywall i am putting in will have recessed ends, but the drywall already attached to the wall will have a butt end. How should i approach this seam when mudding? From some tips on drywallschool.com, it appears there are different approaches to mudding a butt or recessed end, but i have both!

2. Since my cuts were not 100% straight, i am going to have some gaps in between the drywall seams-what size is the maximum for these gaps? I think in some spots it might be near 1/4 inch or so but mostly it is tight. I am using that self-adhesive mesh tape that says i don't have to mud first (just put down the tape)-where the gap is wide should i try to mud anyways?

Patching drywall-where to place seam?

The bevelled edge up against the butt edge of existing drywall, treat this like a butt joint where you would slightly 'V' out the seem with a utility knife, the only difference being that here, one side is already done for you, the bevelled side.

The max gap between boards should be 1/4". I personally strive for less than that. But 1/4" is acceptable. Even though your cuts aren't straight, if you want you could always cut the new sheet of drywall a little bit different to match up as well, I often do this, where I'll mark the area where a straigt line is to be slightly pitched and I'll cut the drywall a bit oversized and go back and trim the area to fit in nicely.

The tape you are referring to, the self adhesive is designed to go on first, unlike the paper tape which requires an initial layer of mud as a bed to set the tape into. With the self adhesive stuff, the subsequent layers of mudd, fill in through the mesh - that's why its there. I personally find the paper stuff much better to work with. I find my joints come out better with it then they do w/ self adhesive kind. Try both if you like, see which you like better.

One more note - this one on compounds.

There are different types of joint compound. There is "all purpose" joint compuond which is like a medium weight, the most commonly used for mudding seams. This type is premixed and ready to go right out of the bucket.

There is lightweight, which is used by some for mudding seams and others for lightweight tasks like spackling or small cracks and stuff.

Then there is durabond and other mix-form compounds. This stuff you add the water yourself to a powder. Its much stronger then other compounds. It drys MUCH faster and is harder to work with. Used when time is of the essence and in cases where strength might be a factor.

If you comfortable doing some reading and prep work, and you are not going to fit that drywall tighter than 1/4", you may consider using durabond or another powder form compound for added strength in that area.

Two tips that I will give you when mudding that will help you immensely.

1. Keep a bucket of water next to you and occasionally dip the knife into the water and stir the compound a bit as it sits for several minutes. this will ensure good working consistancy.
2. Always work with a clean knife. Use the side of your mud bucket and or the waterbucket and a rag religiously to keep the knife you are using clean. Compound, although it can take 30 hours to dry depending, will start to dry within minutes on a knife. this will cause little hard crustations to drag throught the ordinarilly smooth stroakes from the knife. With mud, the smoother the application, the less sanding needed. The less sanding needed the happy your life is exponentially!